More and more graduates are looking for family practice hospitalist jobs, not only because of the benefits they provide, but also because there is a shortage of such positions all across the country. A family practice physician or hospitalist is a primary care physician who treats all kind of patients, regardless of sex or age. He usually diagnoses and treats a wide variety of conditions and illnesses, including colds and flu, hypertension, allergies, or even diabetes.

Typical Schedule and Responsibilities

Family practice hospitalist jobs are specially designed to allow people who want a consultation to come straight to the office. Each family physician has his or her clients, but may extend their area of influence. They usually work four to five hours per day, and about 35 hours per week. Depending on the hospital coverage, a family practice physician can visit the hospital a few days per week in order to check if his patients who require more specialized treatment or even surgery have been admitted there. This happens only as an exception; in some cases the family physician will appeal to a surgeon to continue the health treatment of the patient.

In addition to the hospital rounds, office hours, or nursing home rounds, a graduate who chooses Family practice hospitalist jobs might be on call a few nights each week. However, he won't spend more than 6 hours each night, and will be paid extra. During a normal day of work, he will usually see around 20-25 patients. During the visit, the family practice hospitalist reviews the patient’s chart, and right after that examines his patient. After several tests, he will create a unique treatment plan, which usually includes dietary changes, medication, minor surgical procedures, just to name a few. In the end, he will write the prescription and eventually will schedule a follow up visit.

Differences and Benefits

A hospitalist is different than any other medical person because he has to be available 24/7. So when a patient needs care, he has to be on board. However, there is a slight difference between a practice hospitalist who has his own patients and a hospitalist who's just a surgeon or a specialist and works only in the hospital. A family practice physician has less training and is less stressed than a person who works at the hospital. Moreover, he mustn't be available 24/7, and can have the peace of mind nobody will contact him outside his schedule, only in exceptional cases. Also, the average pay is around $176,000 per year, while a resident in a hospital or a specialist earns less than $150,000. Of course, the annual earnings are decided by several factors, including town size, geographic location, patient volume and partnerships.

The good news for students and graduates looking for Family practice hospitalist jobs is that there are plenty of empty spots in each state. Being a family practice physician is a great choice for those who prefer not to do surgeries or to follow a series of complex procedures, but rather prefer a more predictable schedule and want a better quality of life.